Topic: Textile Art Lesson

1: The Tinalak Process: Textile Arts of the Minorities Learning

Outcomes:

At the end of this chapter, the students will be able to:

1. Draw out metaphors from local myths so students will value cultural roots;
2. Deepen students’’ understanding of imaging

Introduction:
The craft of designing or creating textiles -materials composed of a web of natural or artificial fibers-
spans global cultures and represents one of the earliest human technologies. Techniques for producing
them include weaving, crocheting, knitting, felting pleating and looping resulting in an extraordinary
range of materials (cotton , linen , silk , wood etc.. Textiles have long served various purposes, including
the decorative, for instance in tapestries and rugs. The 230 ft. long Bayeux Tapestry (1070-1080 A.D.) for
example, serves as an important historical document in telling of the Norman Conquest of England in
1066 A.D. In the 20th century, as with any other mediums, artist began to use textiles in ;new context as
well as explore the social conceptual implications of their usage.

Textile art

Textile art is the process of creating something using fibers gained from sources like plants, animals,
insects (think silk worms!), or synthetic materials. Making textiles is an extremely old art form.
Textile fragments have been found dating back to prehistoric times and there's a good reason for this.
Think of how cold winter can be. How would you feel if you didn't have warm clothing? People
developed textiles to keep warm, to protect surfaces and to insulate dwellings.

Examples of such textiles include tapestries, rugs, quilts, and of course clothing. People also used textiles
to make objects that signaled status or commemorated important events. Examples of this type of
textile include things like flags, military uniforms, or ceremonial banners.

Many cultures around the world have distinct methods of making textiles by using materials available to
them, and some have become famous over the centuries like Chinese silks or Turkish rugs. Today, many
contemporary artists work with fibers and textiles in new and exciting ways.

THE T’NALAK PROCESS

Making the t’nalak is tedious and requires numerous steps for a single cloth to be completed. Listed
below are the steps which begin from the harvesting of the raw material to the burnishing and washing of
the completely woven fabric.
Step one: kedungon or abaca plant

Harvesting of the abaca and the stripping of the fibers

Making the t’nalak begins by gathering the raw material used in weaving found in the stems of the abaca
plant or the kedungon. This plant is from the same family as the banana tree. In order to produce a 14–
meter long t’nalak, six abaca plants must be harvested. In addition, the plants need to be two to three
years old and the diameter of their trunks at about 14–18 inches before harvesting.

The trunk is then stripped off its layers and the first few pieces are laid on a triangular offer- ing table for
Fu Dalu. The succeeding strips are then inserted between a block of wood held securely to a horizontal
beam with a large knife pressing down on it. The abaca harvester would then pull the stalk through the
two, separating the pulp from the abaca fiber.

After stripping, the fibers would have to be combed immediately so as to remove the sap that causes the
darkening of the strands. It is hung from a house beam and combed with the fingers where the weaver
selects and separates the fibers according to their thickness. During the selection of the fibers, the whiter
and finer threads found in the inner stalks are separated from the coarser ones. The fibers are spread on a
beam and left to dry inside the house.

Step two: connecting or tembong

Segregating the fibers and connecting them from end to end

After air-drying the newly harvested fibers for at least 24 hours or until they are adequately supple, the
fibers are grouped into wrist-size bundles. To soften the fibers, the women take the abaca strands and
hand-rub or squeeze them, using a motion like washing clothes, to make them pliant. This motion
produces a zigzag pattern which helps the weavers to easily identify and segregate the strands according
to quality. Fine fibers are reserved for the warp or the lengthwise threads, and the thicker fibers are used
for the weft or the crosswise threads

Once dried, the women individually connect the fibers from end to end by tying tiny knots.
The ends are cut with a suk t’bong (small weaver’s blade) in order to make the connections invis- ible.
They are then bundled together by winding the threads around a bamboo warp frame as a set of three and
placed in baskets. It can take a weaver up to two weeks to be able to complete the standard length needed
for the T’nalak. Around 35-40 blitus or bundles, with each bundle having 100-200 fibers of 1.5–2.5
meters in length, are needed to complete a 10 meter by 63 centimeters wide piece of t’nalak.

Step Three: Setting or Semdang

Preparing or setting the fibers on the loom for knotting

Once the raw material has been prepared, the connected fibers that make up the warp are set on the gono
smoi or loom. This special loom is composed of a comb-like wooden frame with teeth pointing upwards
to preserve the fibers’ length and silkiness. After the fibers are smooth- ened out, they are placed evenly
and closely spread on the gono smoi and held in place by a teladay or wooden bar that is laid across and
directly over the fiber.
Step four: designing or mebed

Knotting the fibers prior to resist-dyeing

The next phase is the design process called mebed, which begins on the tying frame. This delicate task of
knotting the warp for the resist-dye method determines the design of the t’nalak. This is a tedious and
intricate process, that can take up to four to five weeks as knot after knot is tied into place.

Without the use of any physical sketches or patterns, the women carefully tie knots on the warp according
to a mental picture of the traditional design.

The tying is done by first grouping fibers into four or fives. Depending on the intricacy of the design, they
are then knotted together using a separate piece of abaca that is dyed black and coated with beeswax.

Since the knots determine the area which must not be dyed, the knots must be very tight. The first knots
tied are reserved for preserving the natural color of the abaca. The second set of knots are for the areas to
be dyed red. This whole process takes place during the day where there is plenty of light.

Step five: dyeing or temogo & untying of knots or hemto

Gathering and preparing the natural dyes, dyeing the warp and untying knots
A t’nalak is defined by using the three traditional colors: black, red and white. In coloring the abaca
strands, the T’boli women make use of natural dyes found in vegetation around their area. This process
of resist-dye is commonly known as the ikat method that is shared with the neighboring countries of
Indonesia and Thailand.

Hitem, or the black dye, is derived from leaves of the k’nalum tree. Once rice sack worth of leaves is
gathered, pounded, placed into a large pot of water, and boiled. After two to four hours, the bed or tied
fibers are placed inside. The cooking of the fibers takes an average of three weeks with the fire being
refueled three times each day and the leaves and berries replaced every two days. It is important that the
strands are evenly and fully coated

Once fully absorbed with the deepest black, the tied fibers are removed and rinsed in running water
through a stream until the water runs clear. It is then air dried for about two days before the knots that
have been tied, reserved for the red portions, are carefully removed with the suk t’bong or small knife.

Hulo, or the red dye, is taken from the roots and bark shavings of the small-leafed loko tree. Around one
kilogram of the loko’s bark and roots are boiled in water for another half hour. The bed is then added and
allowed to boil from five days to one week. Once done, the bed is removed and rinsed thoroughly until
the water runs clear and then airdried.

On the next day, the knots that were used to protect the bukay, the natural creamy white or ecru color,
of the abaca strands are removed to reveal its naturalcolor. Finally, the last stage involves the gentle
separation of the untied and dyed fibers and combing them to prepare the bed for weaving on the
backstrap loom.

Step six: weaving or mewel

Setting the dyed warp on the backstrap loom

The T’boli backstrap loom or the legogong, is a form of horizontal two-bar or twobeamed loom where
one bar is attached to the ceiling bamboo beam of the T’boli longhouse and the second beam, or the
backstrap, is attached to the weaver’s lower back.
The longhouse is a structure specifically built for the production of the t’nalak. Because the length of the
t’nalak can exceed over 10–meters, a horizontal structure is needed. In addition, the t’nalak must be
woven in a cool area or the fibers will snap.

When the t’nalak weaver works, she weaves in a rhythm. After passing the shuttle through the threads,
she pushes the threads to tighten using a flat piece of coconut wood made smooth and shiny with use. She
does this three times in order to ensure that the weaves are tight so that when help up against the light, the
t’nalak blocks as much light from passing through. The weaving stage can take around 14 days to a
month depending on the “character” of the fiber and the complexity of the design.

After the t’nalak has been fully woven, the fabric is thoroughly washed in a cold river so that the entire
piece can be stretched following the water flow. Once it has been slightly air-dried, the t’nalak is then
beaten repeatedly with a hard and round wooden stick in order to flatten the knots. This helps to
smoothen its surface in preparation for burnishing

Step seven: ironing or semaki

Burnishing the surface of the t’nalak

The final phase of producing the t’nalak involves burnishing the surface with a saki or cowrie shell, while
the fabric is still moist. This shell is attached to one end of a bamboo stick with the other end attached to a
hole in the ceiling of the longhouse to help apply additional pressure to the procedure. This task involves
a strong body, as the shell is firmly rubbed repeatedly on the t’nalak in order to flatten it and produce an
even coruscating gloss

Once the burnishing is done, the t’nalak is washed in cold water at a steady flowing stream after which
it is hung and dried. When completed, the t’nalak is stored by rolling it and wrap- ping it with a
separate cloth to protect it from damage.
 Philippine traditional weaving practices and colorful indigenous textiles

1. T’NALAK

Community: Tboli
Origin: South Cotabato

The traditional textile woven by the Tboli women, t’nalak represents birth, life, union in marriage and
death, and shows the uniqueness and identity of the indigenous group. It is often utilised as blankets and
clothing, and used in royal wedding ceremonies on rare occasions.

The Tboli weavers are often called “dream weavers” but this applies only to a few dedicated weavers. It
is believed that the designs and patterns are bestowed on them by Fu Dalu, the spirit of abaca,
through their dreams.

The tedious creation of the t’nalak starts with extracting the abaca fibers, which are them combed to
remove the sap. They are connected from end to end, and knotted and prepared for design prior to resist-
dyeing, known as the ikat method.

A t’nalak traditionally has three colours: black, red, and white. The fibers are then woven using the
backstrap loom. The textile is then washed in the river, beaten with a wooden stick to flatten the knots,
and burnishing the surface with a cowrie shell.

The late Lang Dulay was widely regarded as one of the best weavers and was bestowed the Gawad sa
Manlilikha ng Bayan in 1998. Pictured here is one of her creations.

Photo: Courtesy of Manila FAME

2. DAGMAY

Community: Mandaya
Origin: Eastern Mindanao

The Mandaya, which can be found in the provinces of Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Compostella
Valley, Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur, have a strong weaving tradition as seen in their coarsely
textured dagmay, hand-woven using a special kind of back-strap loom, made from abaca fibers, and
following intricate designs revolving around man and nature, specially the crocodile.

They use a mud dyeing technique. Used to obtain black, the technique is based on the reaction between
the tannins applied on the the yarn before treatment, and the iron found on the mud. The bark of the tree,
which contains tanninsm is pounded to a pulp and boiled together with the abaca yarn. The mud is then
added to the mixture. The yarn is steeped for one to several hours for the best results.

Dagmay designs usually tell the story about the weaver and her community, as well as the spirits that
live on Earth. The dagmay is usually used for women’s skirt, but it is also used as blankets or wraps for
the dead.
3. PIS SYABIT WEAVE

Community: Tausug Origin:

Sulu Archipelago

The Tausug women are experts in tapestry weaving and embroidery, while men do the large hanings in
appliqué. They specialise in the production of pis syabit (head scarf) and kambot/kandit.

The pis syabit is traditionally worn by men and warriors. A most complicated design technique, the pis
syabit tapestry weaving of Tausug has no preset pattern sticks or predesigned warp yarns into which the
weaver inserts the desert yarn.

The weaver has to clearly imagine the pattern in her mind as she inserts one coloured weft yarn one at a
time to fill up the space in the warp, in a sequence her mind only knows. The weaver creates a perfectly
symmetrical composition of squares and Xs with hooks, and in seven to eight colours.

4. SAPUTANGAN TAPESTRY WEAVE

Community: Yakan
Origin: Basilan

Known for being highly-skilled, with impressive weaving repertoires, Yakan weavers produce textile
with five different kinds of weaving, often differentiated by technique, pattern, and function.

The bunga-sama is a supplementary weft weave, made by using pattern sticks or heddles in the loom to
produce the pattern. The colourful striped siniluan is characterised by warp-floating pattern. Saputangan
is a square cloth best known for its intricate and rich design, involving optical illusion to create depth in
the patterns. The inalaman is made using an elaborate supplementary-weft technique, and often used for
women’s wraparound skirt. The pinantupan, which is also used for the wraparound skirt, utilises simple
weft pattern arranged in the bands.

The saputangan is an example of a tapestry weave, considered the oldest and most traditional technique in
producing ornamented woven textiles, aside from the plain weave technique wherein stripes and plaids
are formed.

The saputangan is worn by Yakan women in different ways depending on the occasion such as elen-elen
(for everyday wear), hap tabuan (for going to market) and ginuna sipagkawin (worn like a veil when
attending a wedding).

5. INAUL

Origin: MAguindanao

Inaul (also pronounced inol) is a time-honored weaving tradition of the Maguindanao people usually
made into malong or wraparound skirts commonly and regularly used by both sexes. ... The three types
of threads being used in weaving are tanor which is cottony, the silky rayon,
and katiyado which is the shiny type. Inaul is the traditional woven cloth of the Maguindanaon. It is the
Maguindanaoan word for "woven".

For years this cultural icon has been a "given" among Maguindanao women: they wear it, they weave it,
and sell it as "malong". It was only in 2017 when the province of Maguindanao and the Department of
Tourism in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DOT-Armm) decided to highlight the fabric that
represents the province as one tapestry, thus the birth of Inaul Festival.

MAGUINDANAO takes pride of its culture. It has a lot of things to offer that may even leave some
surprised.

This province in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindnanao (BARMM) is home to the
famous Inaul cloth. This is aside from other products that it is famous for, such as corn and delicacies.
Inaul is the traditional woven cloth of the Maguindanaon. It is the Maguindanao word for “woven”.

With Inaul, Maguidanaon do not only provide us with colorful and intricately designed cloth. With it,
they give us a piece of their culture; something that symbolizes how committed they are as well in
preserving what they have.

“The design of one is different from the other. In the past, the Royal Families used to have their own
design that is exclusively weaved for them. In short, they were the only ones allowed to use it. The
ordinary Moro people really cannot wear it before,” she explained.